Beyond the Headlines: How Three Global Industries Are Reinventing Operations with Private Networks

Three major private network deployments highlight how industries are leveraging dedicated connectivity to solve critical challenges. In India, state-owned Numaligarh Refinery partners with BSNL on the nation’s first oil sector private 5G network, advancing national “self-reliance” goals through real-time IoT, AR training, and digital twins. Meanwhile, the Netherlands’ ProRail adopts Nokia’s cloud-native GSM-R core—a global railway first—to extend its 2G safety system’s lifespan while preparing for future 4G/5G rail communications.

In South Africa, Vodacom deploys a private cellular network at Sasol’s remote chemical plant, overcoming unreliable public coverage to securely connect 3,000 workers and machinery where Wi-Fi proved impractical. Together, these projects reveal private networks’ core value: delivering mission-critical reliability, uncompromised data security, and tailored connectivity that enables true operational transformation across energy, transport, and heavy industry.

Beyond the Headlines: How Three Global Industries Are Reinventing Operations with Private Networks 

The private network revolution isn’t just hype – it’s actively reshaping critical infrastructure worldwide. Three recent deployments in vastly different sectors reveal the tangible benefits driving adoption: enhanced safety, future-proofed operations, and unprecedented control. Here’s the human insight behind the tech: 

India’s Oil & Gas Leap: 5G Powers Self-Reliance at Numaligarh Refinery 

• The Real Story: This isn’t just India’s first oil sector private 5G network. It’s a strategic move by the Indian government (Atmanirbhar Bharat – self-reliance) to modernize public sector giants using indigenous tech (BSNL spectrum, local partners like AMTRON). 

• Why It Matters: Think beyond “faster internet.” This network unlocks mission-critical capabilities for a massive refinery: real-time IoT monitoring preventing leaks, AR/VR training simulating hazardous scenarios safely, digital twins optimizing complex processes, and ultra-secure communications. It’s foundational for true Industry 4.0. 

• The Insight: Public sector enterprises, often seen as slow-moving, are becoming unexpected innovation drivers using private 5G as a lever for national industrial competitiveness and security. The dependence on operator spectrum (for now) highlights an evolving regulatory landscape. 

Netherlands Railways: Bridging the Past and Future with Cloud-Native 2G 

• The Real Story: Nokia and ProRail aren’t just extending the life of aging 2G (GSM-R) for train communications. They’re performing surgery: moving the core to a cloud-native platform. This is a world-first for railways. 

• Why It Matters: Railways can’t rip and replace overnight. Safety-critical GSM-R must work flawlessly while preparing for the 4G/5G-based Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS). Cloud-native means agility and cost savings: easier upgrades, better reliability, reduced downtime, and seamless future integration. It’s about managing a decades-long transition smoothly. 

• The Insight: Legacy industries with long asset lifecycles need smart, incremental evolution. Cloud-native tech isn’t just for web giants; it’s becoming essential for modernizing critical national infrastructure like railways, providing the bridge between proven legacy systems and next-gen capabilities. 

South Africa’s Chemical Giant: Secure Connectivity Where Public Networks Fail 

• The Real Story: Vodacom’s network for Sasol solves a fundamental problem: reliable, secure connectivity in a vast, potentially hazardous industrial site where public coverage is inadequate. Connecting 3,000 people and critical machinery securely was impractical with Wi-Fi (cost, complexity, coverage). 

• Why It Matters: This is about operational integrity and safety. Real-time equipment monitoring, secure worker communication in volatile environments, and ensuring data never leaves the site are non-negotiables in chemicals. The network provides dedicated bandwidth, low latency, and high uptime – essentials for preventing incidents and optimizing massive operations. 

• The Insight: For remote or complex industrial sites, private cellular (4G/5G) isn’t a luxury upgrade; it’s often the only viable solution for robust, site-wide, secure connectivity that supports both human communication and machine automation. It replaces fragmented, unreliable solutions. 

The Common Thread: Control, Security, and Transformation 

These three stories, spanning refining, rail, and chemicals, highlight unifying truths about the rise of private networks: 

• Mission-Critical Reliability: Each deployment prioritizes ultra-reliable, secure connectivity where failure is not an option – whether for preventing refinery accidents, ensuring train safety, or maintaining chemical plant operations. 

• Data Sovereignty & Security: Keeping sensitive operational data on-premises is paramount, especially for national infrastructure (rail, energy) and proprietary industrial processes (chemicals). 

• Foundation for Innovation: These networks aren’t ends in themselves. They are the essential platform enabling next-stage digital transformation: AI-driven predictive maintenance, immersive training, digital twins, and autonomous operations. 

• Solving Specific Pain Points: They address unique challenges: public sector modernization in India, legacy system evolution in railways, and fundamental connectivity in remote industrial Africa. 

Private networks are moving beyond pilot projects into the operational backbone of global industries. They are proving their worth not through abstract speed tests, but by solving concrete, high-stakes challenges: enhancing safety, ensuring reliability, securing critical data, and laying the groundwork for a more efficient and innovative industrial future. These deployments signal that the private network era is firmly here, delivering real value where it matters most.